The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom supports the rights of adults at Iowa State University to maintain their educational and social SM group, Cuffs. NCSF condemns any form of discrimination or persecution of consenting adults who engage in SM educational activities, and calls for Cuffs' organizational privileges to be reinstated and for the assault allegations to be dropped at the March 1st investigative hearing by Iowa State University.

University-approved SM groups serve an important function by providing necessary safe sex education for students. SM is recognized as a normal form of sexual expression and is practiced routinely by approximately 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. To serve these millions of people, there are over 500 educational and social SM groups in the U.S. alone teaching adults about safe, sane and consensual sexual expression.

SM is not assault. SM does not involve inflicting unwanted, offensive or fearful activities on an individual. People who engage in SM activities do so willingly and consensually and they can stop the activities at any time. This is similar to the behavior that is involved in many sporting activities such as Iowa State's Boxing Club or football team.

Regarding assault, Iowa State Criminal Code Section 708.1 states:

"Provided, that where the person doing any of the above enumerated acts, and such other person, are voluntary participants in a sport, social or other activity, not in itself criminal, and such act is a reasonably foreseeable incident of such sport or activity, and does not create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or breach of the peace, the act shall not be an assault."

Cuffs workshops are voluntary and by definition cannot be criminal. "Case law in Iowa does not explicitly define SM activities as crimes or assault; they're simply not offered any special protection under the law," states Susan Wright, Spokesperson for NCSF. "The current controversy over Cuffs has arisen simply because SM involves sexual behavior."

DSM-V in the News

The DSM-5 Says Kink is OK! The American Psychiatric Association has depathologized kinky sex – including cross-dressing, fetishes, and BDSM – in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Now the paraphilias are considered to be “unusual sexual interests,” while those who have sex with children or people who haven’t consented, or who deliberately cause harm to themselves or others, may be diagnosed with a…

Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis Help make history by signing the DSM Revision Petition now! The diagnoses in the DSM-IV-TR still subject people who practice BDSM, fetishes and cross-dressing to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis. We need 3,000 signatures, but we only have 2,200 now. If you don't speak up and call on the American Psychiatric Association to adhere to empirical research when revising the diagnoses…

Sweden takes sexual behaviors off their disease list November 25, 2008 - The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is declassifying sexual behaviors as mental illnesses to avoid strengthening prejudice against the behaviors, the Swedish news service Tidningarnas Telegrambyra reported last week. The diagnoses which will soon disappear from the disease registry include sadomasochism, fetishism, fetishistic transvestitism, transvestitism, gender identity disorder in youth, and multiple disorders of sexual preferences. NCSF…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Marching Forward: NCSF proactively advocates for sexual freedom November 19, 2008 - NCSF is proud to be the only group in the country with a national mission committed to changing the political, legal and social environment for those involved with the BDSM, swing and polyamory communities. The new board of NCSF was voted in at the annual Coalition Partner…

February 13, 2008 - The American Family News Network posted an inflammatory article condemning the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for honoring Guy Baldwin with their Leather Leadership Award at the 20th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, on February 6-10, 2008 (www.thetaskforce.org). According to the February 7th article: Peter LaBarbera, executive director of Americans for Truth commented that he is not sure if he is more surprised…